Support for key hangers



April 10, 1951 J. P. REIS SUPPORT FOR KEY HANGERS Filed March 14, 1946 INVENTOR. JOHN P. R US ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 10, 1951 2,548,820 f SUPPORT FOR KEY HANGERS John P. Reis, West Bend, Wis., assignor to Amity Leather Products 00., poration of Wisconsin West Bend, Wis., a cor- Application March 14, 1946, Serial No. 654,345

This invention relates to improvements in key cases and more particularly to the support for key hangers.

Supports for key hangers are so arranged that the hangers may be removed from the support. However, most of such supports employ separate or complicated locking devices which become detached and lost or require more skill to operate than is possessed by the average individual.

With the usual support the hangers cannot be inserted or removed while lying in the key case. It is generally necessary to swing the hangers clear of the case to accomplish such insertion or removal. This makes the manual operation of the device more complicated and difficult.

An object of this invention therefore is to provide a support for key hangers which has an easily operable non-detachable locking device of simple construction.

Another object is to provide a support for key hangers which permits their easy insertion or removal.

These objects are attained by forming the support of a base plate and hinged hanger holding member. The base plate is secured to the key case with its outer edge adjacent the edge of the key case. The hanger holding member has one edge hinged to the inner edge of the base plate. Its opposite edge is provided with a beaded portion. This beaded portion has a plurality of circumferential slots extending from the outer face to the base plate confronting face of the beaded portion. The ends of the slots in this latter face terminate in enlarged circular openings which permit the insertion or removal of the heads on the key hangers. The base plate frictionally grasps the hanger holding member when the latter is moved to closed position. With the hanger holdin member in closed position, each key hanger is free to move in its respective slot from a position lying within the case to a position extending out of the case. If it is desirable to remove a key or replace a key hanger, the hanger holding member is forcibly unlocked and swung downwardly about the hinge to a position where the circular openings are exposed. In this position any selected key hanger may be raised from its lying-onthe-key case position and removed from the retaining slot. Thus the user may open the key hanger support and select a desired key hanger and remove it without disturbing the other key hangers in their lying-on-the-key case position.

The novel features, which are considered characteristic of the invention, are set forth 2 Claims. (01. 70-456) with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both asto its organization and its method of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof,

will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an opened key case having a support for key hangers embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the support for key hangers with the hanger holding member swung to opened position; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

' Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, thekey case comprises a conventional leather case 10 to the upper portion of the center panel of which is secured by conventional manner the support for the key hangers, designated generally at H.

v The support II is comprised ofa base plate I-2 and a hanger holding member l3. The base plate I 2 is provided with countersunk apertures to receive rivets M, by means of which it is secured to the leather case In. As viewed in the drawings, the upper edge of the base plate may have a small outwardly projecting flange l5 the purpose of which is to stiffen the base member. When such flange is used, it is provided with a series of notches it which are in alinement with the slots 22 in the key hanger holding member I3, to permit the key hangers to swing a full extent outwardly of the case. At the upper corners of the base plate, there are provided spring biased dogs I! which frictionally engage the hanger holding member I 3 to hold it closed. It is desirable to provide the ends of the base plate 12 with side walls l8 so shaped as to enclose the ends of the key holding member I3 when it is in closed position and thus aid in preventing the accumulation of lint and dirt in the key holding member.

One of the characteristics of this invention is that the key hanger holding member I3 is permanently hinged to the base plate. One method by which this can be accomplished is shown in this embodiment. It comprises the use of a slot I9 cut in the lower central portion of the base plate 12 to provide an integrally formed pintle. The key hanger holdin member I3 is formed with a projecting tongue 20 which is passed through the slot l9 and rolled over to form a barrel which engages such. in-

tegral pintle to form a hinge between the member I 3 and base plate l2.

The key hanger holding member I3, is provided with a beaded or bight portion 2| integrally formed by turning back its outer edge over the body portion. This beaded portion 2| is provided with circumferential slots 22 which, as is shown in Figure 3, extend substantially around the entire circumference of the bead 2|. These slots terminate in enlarged circular ends 23 adjacent the turned back outer edge and are thus in the inner or base plate confronting face. The circular ends 23 are sufliciently large to admit the spherical heads 24 formed on the hangers 25. The slots 22, however, are only large enough to freely permit the shank of the hanger 25 to slide therein while preventing the head 24 from sliding out of the slot.

The construction of the key hanger 25 is well known to those skilled in the art. In addition to the head and shank it comprises a loop-like eye the free end of which is spring biased against aportion of the shank to normally keep the eye closed.

Another essential characteristic of this invention is that the hanger holding plate [3 is the element of the support which moves relative to the key case. In normal use, as it swings open the efiect of gravity keeps each key hanger in its respective slot, and resting against the case. When fully opened the hanger continue to remain engaged in the hanger holding member. To remove a respective hanger, however, it is only necessary to lift it up out of the circular openings 23 while all of the other hangers remain in place. This makes the removal of key hangers very simpleand prevents the accidental disengaging ofhangers in the unlatching operation. To effectuate the unlocking of the hanger holding member l3- from the dogs 17, there is provided on the beaded portion 2| a raised tab 26 under which the thumb of the operator may be readily inserted to force the hanger member outwardly from the base plate. This same operation can also be accomplished by holding the key hangers in one hand and using the fingers of the. other hand to press against. the edge of the base plate thus exerting force separating the two elements.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is'shown and described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spiritof the invention or scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A support for a key hanger comprising, a base plate adapted to be secured to a key case with its outer edge adjacent an edge of the key case, a hanger holding member hinged to the inner edge of said base plate, said holding member having a beaded portion at its swingable edge with the outer edge of said member turned back and positioned over the body portion thereof, a circumferential slot in said beaded portion adapted to receive and retain a key hanger, an enlarged opening at the inner end of said slot adjacent said outer edge through which the key hanger may be withdrawn from said slot, said hanger holding member being swingable to a position with said beaded portion adjacent the outer edge of said base plate and with said enlarged opening covered by said base plate, and latching means for detachably-holding said hanger holding member in said position.

2. A support for a key hanger comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to a key case and having an outer edge provided with a laterally extending flange, a hanger holding member having an outer edge provided With a beaded portion, a circumferential slot in said beaded portion, an enlarged opening at that end of the slot which terminates on the base plate confronting face of said bead, said opening adapted to receive and said slot adapted to retain the head of a key hanger, the inner edges of said base plate and said hanger holding member being hingedly connected whereby said hanger holding member may be swung from a, closed position in which said slots are adjacent the outer edge of said base plate and said enlargedportions are covered by said base plate to open position in Which said slots are removed from adjacent the outer edge of said base plate. and said enlarged openings uncovereda notch in the flange on the outer edge of said base plate in alinement with said slot, and means for detachably holding said hanger holding member in closed position relative to said base plate.

JOHN P. REIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2 ,093,327 Legat Sept. 14, 1937 2,1 l5,477 Geller Jan. 3 193.9. 

